When Papyrus stepped from his room, he was wearing a more proper outfit. His usual battle armor, with an overcoat, like a long duster. Which, he promptly dusted off.
He noticed that his brother was leaning on the railings, looking over the ledge down at the first floor. His eyes following, finding that Chara glared when observing him. Papyrus pondered for a moment what might had inspired this disdain, before wagering it was another of his bad jokes.
"hey bro. you two headin out?" Sans asked.
Papyrus glanced at him. "That is the idea. Did you already forget that we were meant to take the human to aquire something more protective? " Sans seemed to blink somehow. "Like a proper set of battle armor... Sans."
"ah right, all that. real neat stuff, honestly." Sans replied, with a little laugh. "and hey, I'd love to join, but I got a call from al. needs a hand with somethin."
"Are you serious?" The tall skeleton asked with a hiss, adding with a whisper. "This was your idea, and you're just going to shirk it?" He glared when his brother shrugged. "You know, you could at least 'try' for once."
"I'd just be hangin on by a thread the whole time." Sans replied, chuckling. "or, weave myself into some trouble."
"Ughh, stop." Papyus groaned, tiredly rubbing between his eyes. "Fine, it's fine. You go handle your social visit. And don't come back with instant noodles and soda next time. Those things are rotten for your health." He paused, and thought. "Unless she has some Pixie soda. That can be utilized in healing."
"think she's more a hill dew kinda gal." Sans replied. "but I'll ask." He turned back to Chara. "you two have fun. later kid."
For Chara, observing his ability to teleport again, just brought up a feeling of irritation. She hated that he could do that, and if she was honest, it made her unreasonably nervous each time she saw it. Her tension fading as Papyrus started to walk down the stairs, as she observed the additional coat. It really did look cool, at least to her.
She had finished eating a moment ago, a fact that was observed by Papyrus. Stepping by, he procured the dishes, and traversed towards the kitchen. The girl rising from her seat, to follow along.
She watched as he placed them into a higher than average sink. Blinking slowly, she nearly questioned it. Before deciding it wasn't worth the breath, instead, she had a question that was probably more valuable to her inevitable rescue and location of her mother.
"Hey, Papyrus?" She gained a glance. "Who's Al?"
"Doctor Alphys." Papyrus replied while cleaning the dishes. "She's...Asgores royal scientist."
"I thought the royal scientist was..." Chara tried to speak the name, but simply couldn't recall it. "uhm...someone else?"
"There was one before, but the position became vacant. From what I was informed, they vacated the position rather suddenly." Papyrus glanced at her. "Moved to the country, or so the rumors go...are you interested in the sciences?"
"Not really." She admitted, fidgeting with the table. "It's cool, but uhm, the life of a brave adventurer is more my speed." She tried to act cool. "Fighting bad guys, drawing cool pictures, saving people. Having like, tons of friends."
"Making daring new puzzle designs?" He offered.
"Exactly!" She exclaimed. "It'd be so cool."
Her exclamation prompted a nyeh heh heh, from him. It was a bit uncanny, how similar the two seems to be, for better and worst. He finished his cleaning and stepped out of the kitchen, while checking his jacket pockets.
Producing a set of keys from within it, he flipped through a few, before placing them back. Finding the human sneaking a peak from the side. Chara noting that the only other thing of note inside his jacket pocket, was the figure she'd given him.
"Are you ready to depart, human?" Papyrus inquired.
"Uhm...yes." She replied. "W-wait, I should clean the ink, I think.."
"For the time being, it may be best to leave it." He suggested. "And, perhaps, you might consider keeping your hood up." He suggested while raising her hood, looking her over. "Actually...I have a more magnificent idea. Give me just a moment."
She raised a brow, as he headed back upstairs, briefly adjusting the hood as she watched. She imagined the room was likely his own, and her imagination began to piece together what it must look like. She imagined a full of an arsenal of weapons. Dozens of intricate maps with countless figurines, designed to simulate potential combat situations. He definitely seemed the type to prepare for every encounter.
Chara wore a sly smile while thinking this, her eyes seeming to grow all the brighter. She began to try and consider a situation to impress her new idol. Maybe she could demonstrate tactical proficiency, somehow? Perhaps with her spells?
After a moment, he came back down, carrying a set of fake horns in his offhand. Papyrus had a left over bag of costume items from the party. Things he hadn't bothered to use for himself, and things once meant for his brother, before Sans went as a 'total mook' which wound up just being himself wearing a blue hoodie instead of his normal jacket.
Crouching down, he regained the attention of Chara. She seemed to have been lost in her own thoughts, and was now looking up at him. Moving back the hood, he placed the horns on her head. Prompting a blink of surprise from her.
Something flickered within her mind, glancing at her reflection within the television. They were wonderful. And...they...resembled...
"I uh...these are very..." She recalled, and felt odd, noting that they resembled the ones her parents had.
She wondered why she felt sad, and happy in unison. It was confusing. And that was unwelcome.
"Based on my own analysis regarding the mental capabilities of the average denizen of Snowdinn...well, it should help you blend in a little better." He offered, wearing a smug smile for a moment. "I must ask you not remove them, however." This prompted her to tilt her head. "Not everyone is formal, nor are they acquainted with an understanding of, nor friendly with the idea of a human being in town. There's lots of paranoia. Understand?"
"Yeah." She muttered, still looking herself over.
"Well, let us be on our way." He opened the door. "Chara-" She turned her focus back to him. "Come along, we've a bit of a walk."
"R-right, uhm, coming." She noticed that the headband blended with her hair.
The horns giving her a sense, like she was closer to who she wanted to be. As odd as it was to suggest. Chara venturing outside after him.
Elsewhere, and some time before...
The light trickled in from the shattered stain glass found along a lengthy corridor, casting it in a golden glow. Rays of fading light acting as the only illumination. Something clattered to the floor, bearing a crimson sheen, as a coat moved through the air, dust spreading across the floor.
A long shadow spread throughout the hallway, a feeling of absence. Like something had been taken. A glance back, a hasty motion. To grasp at the darkness. The faint illumination of crimson eyes.
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Somewhere a screen flickered to life. Replaying a thousand instances. Moments across a possibility, cracking, then, shattering. The shadow reaching out, grasping at something familiar. Brought near to the present screen.
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EXPERIMENT MODIFICATION. RESTARTING...
Application Launching...
Error...files corrupted...
SAVE data present.
|RESTART|
Error not responding.
Error... not responding...
File Corruption detected...Error...
A keyboard clattered in the dark. Something lay crumbled on the wet floor, writhing. Anticipation in the darkened eyes.
Re-allocating files..
Launching EXPERIMENT FF-RED...
Running ... ..
Not responding...
File has been modified. Run anyways?
Running...FR15K(_# $
Initializing...
Error...File...Initializing...
Initializing...Successful...
Running...
There was not initial sensation beyond the first breath, drawn as a sharp gasp. A feeling as though they had always existed. Connected.
Then, a presence, each little breath bringing more clarity and sense of self. The sensation perpetuated, into passive doctrine. There was a feeling, like gentle wind, and the comfort of this resting position. A bed of golden flowers, thick and intertwined, like cushions.
Laying in the bed of flowers, was a human with dark brown hair, and a purple striped shirt. Face-up, the light cascading down upon them. A hand reached down, and adjusted the human slightly, before withdrawing into the dark.
The first thought was the sensation of the hand. An arm twitching, rising to reach out to it. An impulse, more than anything contemplated. A pained set of lettering, grasping at a word.
"Partner?" It was there, and then gone.
The meaning of this word, the compulsion to speak it lost on the human. Too dazed to even realize it had been compelled among the breath. Mind still flickering alight, as a red eye opened, staring up at the light.
The child sat upright with little effort, an found a struggle to form a sense of identity or self. Her fingers twitching, moving with voluntary effort. To feel across the ground, and one of the flowers. Barely registered, despite this.
Thoughts expanding, registering fully and properly. Identity, there was little grasp at. But there was a name. Frisk. She wondered if it was her. Well, it felt like her name. She briefly wondered about the other, the word she'd said when she'd awoken.
But trying to focus on that made her head hurt, badly. It was like static, and audible noise to nothingness. A dull pain spreading when she tried to recall it. Shaking it off, Frisk struggled to her feet, and let out a sigh.
"Where am i?" She wondered quietly, while beginning her adventure into the ruins.
A shadow observing the human as it went. Watching each step, towards an unexpected local. Sometimes, Frisk almost noticed that...
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